Friday, January 18, 2013

The Prestigous Cross Street by Ronan Killeen

I stand open to correction on the following article.

The above photograph was taken by the Dublin photographer Robert French sometime between 1880-1900. The photograph was entitled Main Street although we all call it Cross Street. Across from Mahon's Travel Agency you can see a Royal Irish Constabulary barracks with a Constable standing outside.The Below Photograph you can see that Mahon's Travel Agency is thatched roof but the above photo you can see that it has become modernised in to a full stone building (as I have said I stand open to correction on this article).

The above title I am quoting the late local
historian Aggie Qualter from her book Athenry
Since 1780: History Folklore, Recollections (1989), who called Cross
Street, Athenry ‘The Prestigous Cross
Street’. In the above photograph you can see Mahon’s which was a travel
agency (Now Iggy’s Bar) and across the street was the Old Royal Irish
Constabulary barracks (I am working on a few lengthy articles at the moment so
it will be a while before I complete anything on the R. I. C.).
According to Qualter Cross street has
a ‘six-stone faced houses which were
built in 1902’. You can see this marking above what was old Fianna Faíl office on Cross street. I will
continue ‘It was built by the landlord
Lambert on what was then a wasteground. During this era there were many modern
amenienties such as long gardens,
out-offices, and a right of way’.
Qualter points out that ‘Nearly all the houses from the Western Hotel
(We know it as the New Park Hotel) to
Fox’s Lane (A reader has informed me that Thompson's was formerly owned by Tommy Fox-thus, Fox's Lane) were occupied by the
Royal Irish Constabulary such as Sergt. Condron; Constable Gibbons; Sergt.
Kells; Sergt. McGlade;(a
reader has informed me that ‘That the pub
Thompson's was formerly owned by
Tommy Fox-thus, Fox's Lane.Once Tommy departed the official street name was
renewed, after a time.’) The other constables that Aggie Qualter names are : Sergt. Minchen; Constable. Curran;
Constable McLoughlin. Many of us would know that the famous author Mary Lavin lived in Athenry for a while. Her parents were Tom Lavin and Nora Mahon. Nora was the daughter to Patrick Mahon.
The families of Cross street in 1911
were the following Kells; Hardiman; Duly; Ruthledge; Curley, Connolly, Higgins,
MacNamara, O’ Heidin; Quinns; Commons; Payne; Beatty; Daly; Mahon; Harris;
Judge; Kelly; Sweeney; Minichin; Davies; Nayes; Mulligan; Curran; Grady;
Caslin; Daherty; Murphy; O’Neill; Corry; Moloney; Flanagan; Ryder; O’Dowd; Lardiner;
Fergusan; Coake; Lynch; Condon; Bourke; Crossen; Blake-Davies?; Given; Horton;
MacDermott; Coleman; Farrel; O’Reely; Conelly; Morrissey; Holland; Wyer; Meehan